And for Ginger, I give thanks...

Well, I did something completely out of character and irrational today, yet I believe it was a good thing. I took the kids and bought a dog from the animal shelter. Not that a dog can replace their daddy, but maybe it can help heal their broken hearts a bit.

You see, four years ago I talked my husband into a golden retriever puppy, which he has resented ever since. Her name is Pudding, and although she is a beautiful, sweet animal, she has never outgrown some of her puppy behavior. She has an annual routine of digging up and cracking the sprinkler heads, and if allowed in the main part of the house, will steal things to bury in the back yard. Add to that the fact that neither of the kids has ever really bonded with her, and you have a very large, expensive boarder who doesn't pay rent.

For the last two years the kids have been begging for an indoor dog; a small, cuddly one they can play with that can sleep on their bed and be their friend. My daughter (age 6) especially adores dogs, and envisions herself a vet someday. I've been arguing with my spouse about this for about six months to no avail.

Well guess what? He doesn't live here anymore. And my children are sad and lonely and we are having a very hard time trying to get through the holidays without daddy. Plus, my daughter, who is very cuddly and affectionate, has transferred all of her insecurity and need for affection to her older brother (age 8), and is smothering him with her hugs. She actually said (in front of Daddy, no less!) that she should start calling her brother "Daddy", since "he's the man of the house now". It was a very awkward moment for all of us, and I hope it showed my husband that, unlike he thought, his actions did indeed have a huge effect on his children. For some reason he had thought "My moving out won't affect them that much. I can still be a good daddy, and this isn't about them, it's about our marriage." Right.

So I thought about it, prayed about it, and on a whim, checked to see what the local shelters had available. With one phone call I discovered "Ginger," a pure bred shih-tzu, nearly six-years old, whose owners had to drop her off because of financial problems. Before they left her, they got all her shots up to date and had her groomed. She is 5 pounds overweight (spoiled rotten!), totally trained, and although dirty and full of fleas, with a bath and some medicine, she is now looking like the princess she always knew she was.

I just know God picked her out for our family. I feel such a connection to her, I think, because she is an older dog who was abandoned, just like me. She needs us as much as we need her. And I hope and pray that she will be with us for a long, long time, and that my daughter can whisper all her secrets to her when she's sad.

And just maybe I will, too.